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Select Index: Date | Type | Destination |
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Christmas Around The World
Departure: Wednesday, December 1, 2010 Other Multi-Day Tour - 4 Days / 3 Nights |
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Day #1 – Wednesday, December 1st: 8:00 AM - Meet your escort at Peoria Charter Coach Company Waiting Room at the corner of NE Adams & Alexander Streets (Enter off Alexander). 8:15 AM - Depart Peoria headed west towards our destination – Omaha, Nebraska. Enjoy a Continental Breakfast* on board the coach as we travel. We’ll also make rest & meal stops along the way as needed. 5:00 PM - Arriving in Omaha, we check into the Comfort Inn Southwest* with time to freshen up before our first ethnic attraction. 5:55 PM - We’re off for the German American Society Center to enjoy Christmas in Germany! Tonight you’ll enjoy authentic German cuisine along with music and a lesson in how Christmas is celebrated in Germany. (6 – 8:30 PM) Day #2 – Thursday, December 2nd: Continental Breakfast* is served at the hotel before we begin a full day of touring this magnificent city. 8:30 AM - Let’s board our awaiting coach and depart for Boys Town. 8:50 AM - This morning we’ll enjoy an Irish Christmas at Father Flanagan’s House*. The Flanagan House interprets the year 1929, when Father Flanagan would have been in residence. Many of his personal belongings are on display in his bedroom and study. One of his most prized possessions on display is a desk made for him by the boys. It consists of more than 250,000 inlaid pieces of wood, utilizing twenty-five varieties of wood. Irish Cookies & Cocoa will be served.(8:50 – 10:50 AM) 11:15 AM - Next we’re off to enjoy a Czech Lunch at the Bohemian Cafe* including a Kolachy making demonstration*. The Bohemian Café has been serving mouth-watering authentic European dishes since 1924 and is a cornerstone in the South Omaha community. The dining experience is second to none – from the friendly wait staff dressed in traditional Czech outfits and original home-cooked meals, to the colorful old world décor that hugs every nook & cranny, the Café’s pleasant atmosphere imprints a lasting impression on all who enter. (11:15 – 12:45 PM) 12:55 PM - Following lunch, we’ll visit Lauritzen Gardens for the Holiday Poinsettia Show*. More than 5,600 poinsettia plants are grown in Lauritzen Gardens' greenhouses starting as early as July for this annual holiday show. This spectacular exhibit includes a 20-foot-tall poinsettia tree, beautifully decorated holiday trees, antique sleighs and three model trains that travel through the display. (12:55 – 1:45 PM) 2:15 PM - Our next stop is to enjoy a Scottish Christmas at Joslyn Castle*. Enter through a wrought iron door that weighs nearly a ton. Proceed through the vault-like vestibule lined with inlaid mosaic tile on every side. Marvel at the carved Spanish mahogany staircase that curves upward, sweeping before the large marble fireplace flanked by the curved stained glass windows overlooking the conservatory. See the living room-library, where the Joslyns’ mementos and books were set in lead-glass set in lead-glass cabinets framed by walnut from the Caucasus Mountains northeast of the Black Sea. Enjoy music performed by a Scottish Entertainer as well as touring this magnificent Castle*. (2:15 – 4:15 PM) 4:45 PM - We find ourselves back at the hotel with time to rest a little from our day of touring and rejuvenate for tonight’s dinner & tour. (4:45 – 5:45 PM) 6:15 PM - This evening we’ll enjoy Christmas in Greece at St. John’s Greek Orthodox Church*. You’ll be seated to a delicious Greek meal and enjoy a tour of this beautiful landmark. Saint John's is the metro area's only Greek Orthodox Byzantine-style church, where it's interior is designed to speak to the worshipper. Our church is both rich in history and strong in faith. (6:15 – 8:00 PM) 8:00 PM - We board our coach for the Christmas Lights Tour of Omaha*. Omaha’s Holiday Lights Festival kicks off with the illumination of over one million twinkling lights. As the centerpiece attraction of the Holiday Lights Festival, over 40 blocks of lights paint an impressive picture in downtown Omaha. (8 – 9:30 PM) Day #3 – Friday, December 3rd: 8:00 AM - We meet in a private breakfast room here at the hotel for Continental Breakfast and a Ukrainian Christmas Presentation*. This morning you’ll enjoy a presentation on the traditions of celebrating the Christmas holiday in the Ukraine. Olesia Repreichowskyj brings her knowledge & humor to a presentation that shares her experience in the Ukraine. Always a favorite with groups, Olesia donates her speaking fees to support the restoration of a historic church in the city of her birth. 9:15 AM - Let’s board our coach and depart for another day of touring this beautiful city. 9:45 AM - Our first stop will be at the Mormon Trails Visitor’s Center at Winter Quarters for "Gingerbread on Parade"*. The tour exhibits include Photo murals, Maps, Original Paintings, two historically accurate mannequins (one with a sound track journal entry story), a Log Cabin with a sound track journal entry descriptions, a working model of the Pioneer Roadometer (odometer), an 1850's model wagon replica complete with ox, an 1856 model replica handcart, and an 1850's replica rail passenger car model. (9:45 – 10:15 AM) 10:30 AM - Next we’re off to a 19th-Century Holiday at General Crook House*. General Crook was a Civil War and National Indian Wars hero and was considered the "greatest Indian fighter in the history of the United States.’’ At the landmark 1879 trial of the Ponca Chief Standing Bear, General Crook testified in defense of Standing Bear. He was the Commander of the Department of the Platte from 1875 to 1882 and again from 1886 to 1888. The house is an Italianate style, which represented the no-nonsense grandeur of the military frontier. The furnishings are from the 1880 Victorian period. (10:30 – 11:30 AM) Noon - Enjoy an Elegant Holiday Feast at Renaissance Mansion*. In the recent years the Renaissance Mansion has been restored to the original splendor of yesteryear. Displaying a silver chandelier, wall sconces marked "Paul Revere-Philadelphia". Tiffany at glass and mural canvas grace the first floor formal Dining Room, complimented by five curved windows of lead glass made in England. Beamed ceilings, mahogany wood, french doors, numerous fireplaces and curios displaying precious item of years gone by. (Noon – 1:30 PM) 1:45 PM - Afternoon finds us at the St. Cecilia Spanish Cathedral for a tour*. The Spanish Renaissance-style cathedral contains a white Carrara marble altar from Pietrasanta, Italy as well as a hand-carved mahogany pulpit. Our Lady of Nebraska Chapel has stained-glass windows from a 16th-century cathedral in Pamplona, Spain. The 222-foot spires are visible day and night from miles around. The cathedral was consecrated on April 9, 1959. It is one of the nation's largest cathedrals and seats more than 1,000 people. (1:45 – 3:00 PM) 3:15 PM - The Old Market District* was crucial to the commercial development of Omaha as the wholesale jobbing area flourished in the 1880’s and continued well into the twentieth century. The city has spent nearly $2 billion in new construction and development to make this area a place where you can enjoy exceptional dining and shopping. (3:15 – 4:30 PM) 4:45 PM - Our final event will be attending the Ethnic Holiday Festival at Union Station/Durham Museum*. This festival is one of the best gatherings in the country for learning about how the world celebrates this joyful time of year. Generally there are 16-17 nations represented with food, crafts & entertainment. We’ve also included a food ticket* for you to sample the various ethnic delicacies. (4:45 – 9:00 PM) Day #4 – Saturday, December 4th: Continental Breakfast* is served at the hotel before we check out and depart for home. 8:00 AM - We check out, board the coach and depart towards home after what has been a fantastic "Christmas around the World". We’ll make rest & meal stops as needed en route home. 4:45 PM - Approximate arrival time back in Peoria. Tour Includes: Deluxe Motorcoach Transportation, Professional Escorts, Hotel Accommodations, Luggage Handling, All Attractions & Meals in bold print and marked with an asterisk*. Choice of Pickup Points for this trip are: CHAMPAIGN - Former Hobby Lobby / Church St. Side NORMAL - Schnuck's off Raab Road MORTON - Field Shopping Center PEORIA - Peoria Charter Waiting Room If you feel your Driver & Escort(s) have done a good job, it is appropriate to tip them. We suggest $3 per customer per day for the driver & $3 per customer per day for the escort(s) on this trip. Hotel -- Comfort Inn Southwest 10728 L Street Omaha, NE 68127 402-593-2380 Cost Per Person: Single: $600.00 Double: $499.00 Triple: $455.00 Quad: $435.00 Please click Tour Policy |
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